~ The City of Bloomington received the 2026 Best of Indiana Award for Best Application Serving an Organization's Business Needs – Local at the Indiana Digital Government Summit on Oct. 6. The award recognized a partnership with Indiana University's Data Center to improve the security, reliability and continuity of technology systems supporting city operations.

The Bloomington-IU Datacenter Colocation Project, led by the city's Information & Technology Services Department, moved the city's primary computing infrastructure to a secure city cabinet at the IU facility in August 2026. The project consolidated several dispersed server clusters, and the city's primary storage and virtual computing systems now operate there.

Under the arrangement, Bloomington retains ownership and management of its servers, hardware, systems and data, as well as responsibility for access controls and cybersecurity. IU provides the physical facility and supporting infrastructure, including dedicated rack space and high-speed connectivity.

The city said the move strengthens physical security and availability for more than 300 applications used in government operations. These include online payment, permitting and mapping services, as well as systems employees use to process requests. The city's former primary infrastructure can now serve as disaster recovery sites.

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City ITS staff support and monitor hundreds of servers, including systems used around the clock by Bloomington Police, Fire and Utilities. The city said using IU's existing facility avoids the significant investment that would be required to build and maintain a municipal facility with comparable capabilities.

The project team included Rick Dietz, Mike Crump, Seth Tierney, Rob Cronk and Stephen Hudson. Dietz, Crump, Tierney and Hudson accepted the award for the city. Mark Spencer and Jamie Mobley represented IU.

"Indiana University and the City of Bloomington are close partners, and this recognition only reinforces our strong collaboration," Spencer, IU's assistant vice president of networks and infrastructure, said. He said the project demonstrates how IU's technology infrastructure and expertise can support the broader community.

Dietz, the city's ITS director, said the project was made possible by the data center's proximity, existing network connections and longstanding relationships between city and university technology staff. He said the partnership would serve the Bloomington community, including IU students, faculty and staff who live in the city.

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